Posts By
Kat George

Musicians are a strange bunch sometimes. Apparently, a lot of that strangeness can be attributed to being possessed by otherworldy entities. Yep, some of the most iconic musicians of all time believe their song writing genius, impressive performance prowess, and general musical skill comes from being possessed. For instance, Angus Young blames his crazy stage behavior on a “guitar demon,” and rock pioneer Little Richard thinks the actual devil possesses him.

Sometimes people don’t age well — even celebrities. But that’s not what we’re talking about today. While the natural process of aging will take its toll, we’re more interested in the rockers who just gave up on trying to look good. For instance: Paul McCartney has aged, but Paul McCartney still looks sharp. Bruce Springsteen has aged, but Bruce is still a sexy heart throb. By comparison: Axl Rose has aged. But Axl has also got a beer belly and doesn’t seem to comb his hair.

Today we’re wishing our favorite musical redhead, Ed Sheeran, an incredibly happy 24th birthday. The ginger Brit has found our way into our hearts with his smooth, romantic sound— although he’s not the first musical carrot top that we’ve fallen irrepressibly in love with. Ever since Art Garfunkel and Daryl Hall were young men, we’ve held a soft spot for the orange haired troubadour. And when it comes to the ginger ladies, they’re not lacking in willful girl power: from Geri Halliwell to Annie Lennox to Neko Case to Shirley Manson to Tori Amos, red hair on a woman in music is synonymous with independence and power.

Yesterday was Brandy Norwood‘s 35th birthday. We have to say, we’re a little shocked. It feels like Brandy’s been in the game so long she could have been 100. To celebrate, we’re taking a look back at her musical duel with Monica, “The Boy Is Mine” and we’re going to decide once and for all who won that fight. And it’s not just Brandy vs Monica we’re concerned with today. We’re going head to head for Usher vs R. Kelly, Beyonce vs Shakira, Michael Jackson vs Paul McCartney and a host of other iconic romantic song battles. Want to know who came out on top? Check out our rankings after the jump. Read more…

Rap is one of those genres of music that, when it’s good, it’s genius. But when it’s bad, it can be so shockingly terrible you don’t know where to look to save yourself from cringing. There are the undisputed kings and queens of rap — Jay-Z, Nas, Biggie, Missy, Kim — that we’ll always love, even when they’re not bringing their A game (looking at you, Mr. Beyonce). But what about the rappers that just don’t ever seem to really bring it? Or the ones that once sort of brought it, but are fading fast?

You’d think naming your band after genitalia would be provocative, and in the case of a political protest band like Pussy Riot or all-girl punk band The Slits, you’d be correct in that assumption. But some band names are more subtle. Just think of The Flaming Lips and Whitesnake, who have more creative euphemisms that you maybe didn’t pick up on. Even dad-rock favorite Steely Dan got a sneaky sex reference into their name!

There are some albums that almost reach the pinnacle of musical perfection, but fall short just because of one poor song choice. You know the one: a sour note in an otherwise harmonious collection of hits. On an album full of gems, it’s the song you skip over every time, no matter how many times you try not too. To be blunt, the song just sucks. From Katy Perry‘s “Ur So Gay” to Kanye West‘s “Drunk and Hot Girls,” here are the truly terrible songs that ruined albums that otherwise defined perfection.

We can always rely on music to give us little nuggets of wisdom…and sometimes to say utterly crazy things. Lyrics are so entertaining because sometimes they articulate exactly how we feel, and sometimes they’re so far out there they make us think, get mad, or at the very least laugh and go, “WTF?” 2014 was filled with lyrics that filled all categories, and we’ve got the best of the best (and worst) here for you.

Hyper sexualization in pop music is nothing new, but in 2014 we saw the booty at the forefront of sexuality in performance. When Nicki Minaj is rapping about her butt and Beyoncé is getting drunk in love, it follows that that the stage wear for these performances match subject matter with its risqué, bare-all derriere and cleavage.